A Bit of Sun -- Oil on Canvas: 9x12

Years ago, when we built our house, we stretched our small budget so that we could get decent insulation professionally installed, a decision that we have been grateful for ever since. Although at the time, we would have preferred spending the money on something more obvious, like luscious cherry wood cabinetry or new furniture to go with the new construction, we look at each other each cold winter and each hot summer and say, "Sure glad we insulated this place well."

As I write, it is 7 degrees outside, the sun streaming into the windows. That sun, in conjunction with the wood stove, is keeping the interior temperature a comfortable 75 degrees, despite the number of times the children open and close the door. A minimum of wood is required to keep the house temperature where we want it.

Insulation is an example of one of thsoe investments that, at the time, doesn't look so exciting, but, as time goes on, becomes something you can't imagine not having done. We opted for a smaller house constructed with better materials, and although sometimes when everyone is at home we think that a bit more space might be nice, we also like the bit more money in the bank account that a completely paid for house results in. It was well worth saving up for the insulation so that we could enjoy it for years to come.

Saving up money is even more fun when you are saving it for something exciting and beautiful, like a piece of art. Many of my clients have "indulgence funds" into which they deposit regular amounts; then, when they have a sufficient amount, they contact me and with total joy and abandon purchase the exact painting that they want for their walls, which they enjoy, guilt free, because they have saved up for it.

Paintings, indeed, are a luxury, but with forethought and a mind to deferred gratification, they are most definitely an affordable one, well within reach of many of us. And although they are decidedly in the more "fun" category than house insulation, both are able to provide that sense of appreciation and gratitude that we get when we save up for something well worth having. Perhaps we in America will return to the concept of deferred gratification and saving up for the things we want, and thereby be able to enjoy them more when we get them.

Original Oil Painting by Steve Henderson of Steve Henderson Fine Art